Good morning. It's Tuesday, Nov. 17, and we're covering a second successful COVID-19 vaccine in the US, the year's first Category 5 hurricane, and a rise in hate crimes. Have feedback? Let us know at [email protected].

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NEED TO KNOW

Moderna Vaccine Success

A vaccine developed by biotechnology giant Moderna is more than 94% effective at preventing COVID-19, according to preliminary data from its ongoing Phase 3 trial. The news comes one week after Pfizer announced its vaccine candidate appeared to be at least 90% effective. Both results have spurred cautious excitement among health officials who previously said a vaccine would have to be at least 50% effective to gain approval. In the 30,000-person study, which has not yet been peer reviewed, 90 volunteers who received a placebo contracted the coronavirus, compared to just five in the group receiving the vaccine.

The two-shot treatment is similar to Pfizer's in that it relies on a technology known as messenger RNA (see 101). The approach uses pieces of genetic material—the mRNA—that instruct the body to produce proteins similar to the coronavirus's infamous spike protein. Their presence triggers an immune response to fight the new proteins and, if present, the coronavirus. Beyond helping blunt the pandemic, the drugs would represent the first use of mRNA vaccines for clinical use of any sort. 

Unlike Pfizer's treatment, which must be held close to 100 degrees below zero, Moderna's vaccine can be held at normal fridge temperatures. Moderna received $1B in federal funding for the effort through the Trump administration's Operation Warp Speed (along with a $1.5B contract for 100 million doses), partnering with the National Institutes of Health. The company is expected to request emergency use authorization in the coming weeks.

The US has reported more than 11.2 million total COVID-19 cases as of this morning, with 247,220 total deaths. New cases are averaging around 150,000 per day, with the daily death toll hovering around 1,200. See data here and here.

Listen to Moderna Chief Medical Officer Tal Zaks discuss the results. 

Iota Slams Central America

Tens of thousands of residents hunkered down in emergency evacuation shelters as Hurricane Iota barreled into Honduras and Nicaragua overnight. The system made landfall as a strong Category 4 storm after briefly reaching Category 5 status—the first system to reach such intensity in the Atlantic this year. Downgraded just before landfall, Iota is expected to bring up to 30 inches of rain in some spots to a region still recovering from Hurricane Eta, which killed 130 people across Central America two weeks ago. See Iota's trajectory here.

Iota is the 30th named storm of the record-breaking Atlantic hurricane season, and the ninth to undergo rapid intensification. The storm strengthened from a Category 1 to a Category 5 over the course of a single day, and jumped from a Category 2 to a Category 4 over the course of an hour yesterday. It also marks the first time on record two major hurricanes—with sustained winds exceeding 110 mph—formed in the Atlantic in November. 

See video from landfall here.

Hate Crimes Rise

The number of hate crimes reported last year in the US reached their highest level in more than a decade, according to an FBI report released yesterday. Of the 7,314 reported hate crimes, more than 55% were motivated by race or ethnicity, roughly half of which were classified as anti-Black incidents. About 16% were anti-white, while 14% were anti-Latino. Just over 20% of incidents were religiously motivated, with three in five reports involving anti-Semitism. 

There were 51 hate crime murders reported in 2019, 22 of which came from a mass shooting at an El Paso, Texas, Walmart where the shooter claimed to be targeting immigrants. That figure is more than double the previous year's 24 murders, which included a mass shooting at Pittsburgh's Tree of Life Synagogue in which 11 worshippers were killed—the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in US history. 

Access the full report here.

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IN THE KNOW

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

> NCAA announces the men’s basketball tournament to be held in a single host city, likely Indianapolis, in effort to avoid COVID-19 infections (More) | Oklahoma City Thunder trade 10-time NBA All-Star Chris Paul to Phoenix Suns (More) | Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and Curt Schilling headline 2021 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot (More)

> Universal Pictures and Cinemark Theatres strike deal allowing Universal films to offer video on demand as early as 17 days after theatrical debuts (More)

> Music executive Scooter Braun sells master rights to Taylor Swift’s first six albums to unknown buyer for $300M (More) | What are master recordings? (More) | Former President Obama releases first volume of memoirs, out today (More)

Science & Technology

> Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, Twitter's Jack Dorsey to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee today over fact-checking and misinformation warnings placed on posts related to the election (More) | Twitter names well-known hacker, Peiter "Mudge" Zatko as head of security (More) 

> Chronic alcohol use alters immune system machinery in the brain, decreasing the concentration of proteins designed to limit inflammation (More)

> Study finds variability in short-term memory performance is linked to a specific gene in the brain's thalamus, typically responsible for relaying motor and sensory inputs (More)

Business & Markets

Brought to you by The Ascent

> S&P 500 (+1.2%) and Dow (+1.6%) close at record highs, Nasdaq up (+0.8%) on Moderna vaccine news; Moderna shares surge 10% (More)

> Airbnb files for $1B highly anticipated IPO expected to price in December, following a posting of $219M net income on $1.34B revenues in the third quarter; company has raised $6.5B from investors and was valued at $31B in 2017, but raised money this year at $18B valuation during emergency pandemic financing (More)

> Saudi Arabian majority state-owned oil business Saudi Aramco to issue bonds to pay annual dividends as 2020 profits drop amid pandemic-induced oil price crater (More) | SEC Chairman Jay Clayton to step down from post at end of 2020 (More)

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Politics & World Affairs

> The Boy Scouts of America hit with more than 82,000 allegations of past sexual abuse ahead of bankruptcy court deadline; claims are part of lawsuit arguing the organization did not sufficiently protect minors (More)

> Trump administration to draw down US troop levels in Afghanistan by half to 2,500 by Jan. 15; troop levels in Iraq will be cut by 500, also to 2,500 (More)

> Peruvian congress elects centrist Francisco Sagasti as head of the legislature and new interim president; move follows the ouster of former President Martín Vizcarra and the resignation of interim president, Manuel Merino, within the past week (More)

IN-DEPTH

How Quibi Imploded

The Verge | Julia Alexander, Zoe Schiffer. An inside look at the demise of Quibi—an ambitious attempt to disrupt the entertainment industry via high-end short-form shows—where a $2B budget couldn't prevent a rapid death spiral. (Read)

Editor's note: ... and check out this entertaining list of Quibi's most ridiculous shows at launch.

A Watchful Eye

Washington Post | Drew Harwell. Many schools, struggling to adapt to the new world of online learning, have turned to automated AI-powered software platforms to monitor cheating as students take tests. But programs that tabulate everything from bathroom breaks to eye twitches have left students fuming. (Read, $$)

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ETCETERA

See why some states are more powerful than others in electing the president.

Ancient Greek bust found during sewer work in Athens.

A quick primer on how the brain generates dreams.

See why the tailorbird is appropriately named. (via YouTube)

A new method to combat alcohol poisoning—just hyperventilate. 

BMW's electrified wingsuit reaches speeds of up to 186 mph. (w/video)

Hiker recovers after his heart stops on Mount Rainier.

Baby Yoda makes it into space.

Clickbait: Fat, flightless parrot wins Bird of the Year amid allegations of voter fraud.

Historybook: Suez Canal opens (1869); HBD actor Danny DeVito (1944); HBD former US national security adviser Susan Rice (1964); Arnold Schwarzenegger sworn in as governor of California (2003); First known case of COVID-19 traced to man who visited Wuhan, China (2019).

"Your struggles develop your strengths."

- Arnold Schwarzenegger

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